Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of the reduction of the empty property rates threshold on the business sector.

Bob Neill: This Government recognises the problems caused by the previous Government's reforms of empty property rates.
	Our ability to take action on this needs to be balanced against the costs involved, the targeted support that we have already provided on business rates and the overriding need to reduce public expenditure and support the economy generally by reducing the deficit.
	We therefore have no immediate plans to reverse the reforms, and taking the above matters into consideration, the empty property rate threshold will revert to £2,600 from 1 April 2011. We will, however, certainly keep this matter under review.
	No assessment has been made of the effect of the reduction of the empty property rates threshold on the business centre sector.
	As I outlined in my written statement of 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 61-62WS, it would cost £400 million to continue with the temporary empty rates measure, which unfortunately is not fiscally sustainable given the public finances that the new Government have inherited from the last administration.